Amplification system for glow relay devices



March 16, 1937. H. c. I'ENTscHLER ET AL 20,297

AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM FOR GLOW RELAY DEVICES Original Filed Dec. 7, 1928/6 6 7 J 26 /f v WITNESSES: INVENTORS M fiarvegpd Pemsa/fler and IDorm/gQE Henry.

Reiu'ued Mar. 16, 1937 R 20,297

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 20.201

AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM FOR (110W RELAY DEVICES Harvey 0. ltentschler, EastOrange, and Donald E. Henry, Bloomfield, N.'J., assignors, by mesneassignments, to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturlng Company, EastPittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original No. 1,982,829,dated December 4, 1,934, Serial No. 324,551, December '2, 19,28.Application for reissue August 15, 1938, Serial'No.

30laims. (Cl..25027) This invention relates to electrical discharge areconnected, whereas, the starting anode is devices of the gaseousconduction type employdifferently spaced with respect to the cathode inga, starting anode for initiating a discharge and may be constructed of adifferent material therein in response to feeble electrical currentsfrom the main anode so that a discharge may be and utilizing such feebledischarge to enable a vstarted between such starting anode and the maindischarge having a relatively large current, cathode at a considerablylower voltage than that to be started. More particularly, the inventionnecessary to initiate the main discharge. relates to a system foroperating such devices. The starting anode is positioned at the criticalIt is well known .that the voltage required to distance from thecathode, or from an extension initiate an electrical discharge in a glowdisof the cathode at which the minimum voltage 10 charge device ishigher thanthat required. to is required to start the discharge with theparmaintain the discharge once it has started, ticular gas at thepressure employed. The main Thus, for instance, in a negative glowdisanode is arranged ata greater distance from the charge deviceemploying spaced apart electrodes cathode.

in a gaseous atmosphere and operating in the ab- As a consequence ofthis construction, if a 15 sence of thermionic emission, by a properchoice predetermined voltage is impressed between the of electrodematerials, electrode spacing, gas main anode and the cathode, somewhatlower pressure, etc.,' the discharge may be made to start than thatnecessary to initiate a discharge thereat potentials as low as 110 to120 volts while the between but sufliciently high to maintain such adischarge once started will continue to operate discharge after it isonce started and if a second after the potential has dropped to as lowas from source of potential is applied between the start- 85 to 90volts. I ing anode and the cathode of suilicient voltageThisdiflerenceinstarting and operating potento initiate a dischargebetween s h electrodes tial is due largely to the high resistanceimposed in response to some external condition permitby the cathode darkspace. Upon initiating a ting only a feeble current to flow in thestarting 25 discharge in the devices this cathode resistance anodecircuit, the main anode discharge may be is broken down and permits thedischarge to be started upon the initiation of the discharge frommaintained at a voltage lower than the starting the starting anode.potential or it enables another independent dis- With such a device the.extremely f ebl 3o charge to be started in the tube at a materiallyrents, obtained for instance from a, photo-electri lower voltage thanthat required to start the disce11,a which may be in the nature'of amicrocharge, in the absence of the auxiliary discharge. ampere or a fewmicro-amperes, or even less pro- I It has been found that there is adefinite andduced in the circuit including the starting anode criticalspacing of the electrodes for a particular which, for convenience, istermed the in-put cm.

gas and a particular pressure thereof at which cuit, will initiate adischarge in the main anode 35 the voltage and current required to starta discircuit or out-put circuit of several hundred milcharge in thedevice is a minimum. Moreover, liamperes which is sufllcient to operatea sensiwhereas devices of this nature may readily carry tive relay.However, when such a sensitive glowcurrent up to several hundredmilliamperes, the relay tube isoperated with high current out-put,

4o a un 0 u t u d t start the dis ha g near the limits of the tube, thetube is likely to is 118173 exceeding? $111811, that is in the naturebecome heated and its sensitivity and reliability I o a cro-amp ecressary InRentschler Patent No. 1,840,055, issued Jand It is theremre' newoperate such devices at lower out-put currents my 1932* there isdescribed a device which when extreme sensitivity is required than th tmakes use of the above phenomena for the pronecessary to mew 0 rate heaha 45 duction of an extremely sensitive glow-relay tube. relays Y 96 Wec 11 ca 1 1 3:3; rim 3 5: gi fig g g m z g One of the objects of thepresent invention is,-

therefore, to provide a system employing sensifig zg n gii or tiveglow-relay tubes of the nature described in The main anode is positionedwith respect to which large -P currents ay be Obtained the cathode sothat a considerably higher voltage Without impairing the Sensitivity oft e system.

is required to start a discharge between said elec- A further Object 18to Provide an p trade and the cathode than is ordinarily availsystem forincreasing the current obtained from able from the circuit in whichthese electrodes a glow-relay tube.- 55

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter,

In accordance with our invention we operate a starting anode tube orglow-relay in response to feeble electric currents, suchas thoseobtained from a photo-electric cell subjected to light vari- I ationsand we employ the out-put current obtained from the main anode circuitof such a tube to supply the in-put'current .for'one or more lesssensitive starting anode tubes of larger out-put capacity.

These amplifying tubes may be connected in trates an electrical systememploying our starting anode tubes.

In the drawing the current obtained from a photo-electric cell I isemployed to create a discharge through a starting anode tube 2 which inturn supplies current for setting into. operation a pair of lesssensitive starting anode tubes 3 and 4 of greater out-put capacity whichare connected electrically in parallel. The current obtained from thetubes '3 and 4 is used to operate an electrical switch 5 for supplyingcurrent to a bank of lamps 6. The current for operating these devices isobtained from a 110 volt A. C. line I.

The cathode 8 of the photo-electric cell is connected 'with a wire 9 tothe starting anode Ill of the glow-relay 2, the cathode I I i of whichhas a starting tip or extension I2 projecting into close proximity tothe starting anode Ill. The cathode II is joined through the conductorI3 to one side of the line I, the opposite side of which is connectedthrough the conductor I4 with the anode l5 of the photo-electric cell I.

Small currents 'fiowing through the photoelectric cell ln response to anincrease in illumination of the photo-electric cell, create a dischargebetween the'starting anode Ill and the cathode I I. This dischargecauses the tube to break down and a heavier current discharge to bestarted between the main anode I3 of the glow relay tube, which isconnected to one side of the line I through the primary of a transformerI1, and the cathode II which is connected to the opposite side of theline.

The out-put current obtained from the glow- I relay tube 2 is utilizedto supply the in-put current to the starting anodes of the amplifyingtubes 3 and 4. One terminal ill of the secondary I9 of the transformerI1 is connected to the cathodes 20 of each of the amplifying tubes and.60 the opposite terminal 2| of the secondary I3 is' connected to eachof the starting anodes 22 of the amplifying tubes through suitableresistance 23 so that a discharge occurs in the amplifying tubes,between the starting anode and the oathode, in response to the dischargein the out-put circuit of the first relay tube 2'. 2B of the amplifyingtubes are connected to the line I by the conductor 24 and the mainanodes 7o 25 of these tubes are connected to the opposite side of theline I through the conductor 26, and the winding 21 of the switch 5, sothat upon initiation of the auxiliary discharge in these tubes the maindischarge will start and supply a 75 relatively heavy current foroperating the switch The cathodes B. The switch 3. controls the currentto a bank of lamps 8.

With the arrangement shown, the small current of a fraction oi\amicro-ampere or more, I

produced in the photo-electric cell I may be utilized'to' initiate thedischarge through the first sensitive starting anode tube and theout-put current obtained from such tube utilized to initiatethedischarge in the less sensitive amplifying starting anode" tubes tosupply a heavy current for directly operating the switch 21.

It is obvious of course that various changes may be made in theelectrical connections for operating the amplifying tubes by the currentobtained from the tube 2 and the current obtained 'from the amplifyingtube may be utilized in various manners and we do not desire to belimited to the specific electrical connections shown and describedexcept in accordance with the appended claims.

The system described may be utilized to control the illumination inoffices, factories, street lighting systems, etc., to automaticallylight and is adjusted to permit a predetermined current to flowtherethrough sufflcient to initiate a discharge in the relay tubes 2,when the day-light illumination is suiiicient for the purpose required,the amplified current obtained from the amplifier tubes 3 and 4 willopen the switch 5 and turn off the lamps 6. When the day-lightillumination decreases below normal, the current flow in thephoto-electric cell I becomes too small to maintain the discharge in therelay tube 2 and as a consequence the winding 21 becomesdeenergized,allowing the switch 5 to close and th lamps to be lighted.

We claim as our invention:

1. An electric system including a-glow relay tube of the starting anodetype having an envelope, a gas, a cathode, a starting anode and a mainanode therein, comprising a starting circuit including a source ofpotential, the starting anode and the cathode of said tube and highimpedance means for controlling current flow between said starting anodeand cathode, an output circuit including a source of potential, saidmain anode and cathode, a third circuit magnetically coupled with saidoutput circuit, said third circuit including the starting anode andcathode of a second relay tube having a higher output capacity than saidfirst mentioned tube, a fourth circuit including said cathode and a mainanode of said second relay tube and means for impressing a potentialbetween said main anode and cathode, and actuable means associated withsaid fourth circuit and adapted to be actuated upon current flow throughsaid fourth circuit, said first mentioned tube being sensitive and saidsecond tube being less sensitive than said first menode of a second glowrelay tube oi the starting anode type, andalso a secondary oi saidtransformer, a fourth circuit including the cathode and main anode ofsaid second tube and said source 01' potential and adapted tocarrysumcient current to actuate external means, said second tube havinga higher output capacity than said first tube and actuable meansassociated with said output circuit, said first mentioned tube beingsensitive and said second tube being less sensitive than said firstmentioned tube. 3. In a control system, a set of electrodes betweenwhich a discharge is to pass, means tor controlling the dischargebetween said electrodes,

the properties of 'said electrodes and said discharge controlling meansbeing such that only a comparatively small current is required to .betransmitted between said means and at least one oi! said electrodes tocontrol the discharge between said electrodes, power supply means, thecurrent of said discharge being substantially larger than saidcontrolling current, means for coupling said power supply means to saidelectrodes and to said discharge controlling means to impress potentialsbetween said electrodes and I on said discharge-controlling means, saidmeans including means for predetermining the relation ship of the lastsaid potentials, an additional set of electrodes between which adischarge is to pass, additional means for controlling the dischargebetween said additional setoi electrodes, the properties of thelast-named electrodes and dischargewontrolling means being such that acomparatively large current, substantially equivalent to the currenttransmitted between the first-named set 01 electrodes, is required to betransmitted between said discharge controlling 1 means and at least oneor said electrodes to control the discharge between said additional setoi electrodes and means for coupling the firstnamed set of electrodes tothe last-named dis,- charge controlling means to control the dischargebetween said additional set or electrodes.

HARVEY C. RENTSCI-ILER. DONALD E. HENRY.

